Would an electricity supplier run a new pair of tails into a new consumer unit alongside the existing installation. At present there appears to be just one big old fuse and breaker supplying the whole house.
There is a reason and I'll try and be brief (but I bet I won't be). The wiring in my parents house is in a bad way. Up until now we've dropped hints but it has been my fathers responsibility. My father is now suffering from brain cancer and my mother is in the house alone and I think it is time for me to take responsibility. As my mother is 83 and a worrier at the best of times I am thinking of rewiring the house one ring main/lighting circuit at a time into the new consumer unit to minimise disruption. An alternative would be to run a couple of tails from the existing fuse and breaker to the new consumer unit and the get the electricity supplier to change it over when everything is done. I think I may have answered my own question.